July 16, 2021—International diplomats cast a particular eye this week on the needs of the world’s poorest countries.
As they met under the leadership of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), representatives looked at ways the poorest countries are trying to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. The high-level delegation meetings come amid warnings by the OECD and others that developing countries are at a high risk for rising discontent and protests as many economies struggle to recover from the global pandemic.
Sustainable Development Goals for 2030
Representatives to the meetings this week met both in person and virually. They worked on a draft agenda for sustainable development goals for 2030. The draft agenda for SDGs is a significant document for the United Nations. It deals not only with poverty but also food systems, infrastructure, the digital economy, and climate. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. called the 2030 Agenda a “roadmap” for the world’s top diplomatic representatives.
In a nutshell, the goals promote:
- ending poverty and hunger,
- improving people’s health, creating employment and economic growth,
- reducing inequality,
- promoting responsible consumption and production,
- acting on climate change, and
- building peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Moreover, the meetings promote public-private partnerships to attain these goals. The draft also acknowledged that all of its goals for 2020 were not met.
Covid’s Impact On The Poorest
Overall, the Draft Agenda for 2030 names 50 points. Some are more urgent needs than others. This includes, “We recognize that the poorest and most vulnerable people are the most affected by the COVID-19 crisis. We will place a focus on those people in our policies and actions. We will undertake every effort to leave no one behind and to reach the furthest behind first.”
According to the draft, this refers specifically to women, children and youths, the disabled, those with HIV/AIDS, the elderly, indigenous populations, local communities, refugees and all displaced people and migrants. It says, “We are deeply concerned that many developing countries are unable to meet the essential social protection, health and humanitarian needs to recover from the pandemic and resulting recession.”
Also acknowledged are underdeveloped nations, particularly those in Africa, landlocked and developing nations, small islands and countries involved in or recovering from conflicts. Here, ECOSOC offered to support those countries to recover from COVID with avenues that include funding.
Peace And Stability Comes First
Without naming any specific nation state, the Agenda points out the reciprocal effects of peace and stability on sustainable economic development. It says one cannot happen without the other.
The call for peace emphasizes respect for human rights, the effective rule of law, and accountable and transparent governance.
“We must redouble our efforts to resolve or prevent conflict and to support post-conflict countries, including by ensuring that women have a role in peacebuilding and State-building,” the draft agenda says.
Debt Forgiveness, Development Assistance
The ECOSOC emphasized the need for developed economies to honor their official development assistance (ODA) commitments and to follow the lead of the nations that plan to contribute 0.7 percent of their gross national income for that purpose.
The Council recognized the G20‘s Debt Service Suspension Initiative and its use in expediting greater pandemic-related spending. It also encouraged private lenders to join this effort. “Debt treatment could enable countries to refocus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals,” it noted.
Infrastructure
Further, the Draft Agenda noted the role of infrastructure on reaching development goals. It said investing in “quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure” is critical to economic recovery from the pandemic. Additionally, many developing countries need support in identifying projects. Also, they need to attract public and private investment from developed economies.
Attracting Private Investment
The Agenda made special note of the role private investment can have on sustainable development. Leaders of the SDGs aim to encourage private investments in areas such as energy, communications, transportation, and technology. “We recognize the important role of the United Nations development system, the World Bank and other multilateral institutions in addressing the capacity and funding gaps in quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure investment, especially in developing countries,” the draft agenda said.
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